At least at HLS there's not such thing as an 'A'. You can get an F, LP, P, H, or DS.
DS is not equivalent to an A. DS is insanely hard to get. The professor can only give like 1 or 2 students in the entire class DS so you basically have to be top gun to consistently get DS.
Harvard College (the university's undergraduate arm) definitely gives As. Law schools are vocational programs. I'm not surprised it works differently there.
Obnoxious entitlement? Social pressure? Historical precedent? Why questions can't really be answered. But if you give someone a well-deserved B they cry in your office and then hammer you in their end-of-semester course review.
I asked as a complete ignorant on American grade practices, and your answer differs completely from my (EU) experience - especially because we give reviews before exam sessions.
